The iconic walkway connecting Melchor Hall and Palma Hall in UP Diliman is up for improvements which include PWD access, rest areas, and lighted, landscaped promenades with sculptural installations.
UP signed on November 6, 2018 a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the donor organization, the Beta Epsilon Alumni Association Inc. (BEAI), which initiated and is implementing the project.
The alumni association, represented in the MOA signing by its president, Napoleon Ocampo Jr., and its vice president, Leonardo Jose Berba, said it plans to turn the upgraded “Beta Way” over to UP by August 2019, in time for the organization’s 90th anniversary.
According to architectural plans presented by Berba to UP President Danilo Concepcion, the 192-meter path will be widened by two meters with promenades extending on both sides. PWD access ramps will be installed on both ends. Sculptural landmarks reflecting disciplines in Engineering and the organization’s legacies, designed by Toym Imao, and concrete stools, will be installed in selected spots.
Concepcion thanked BEAI for the donation and acknowledged the landmark status of Beta Way. One of his administration’s priorities is the physical upgrade and beautification of UP campuses. He is overseeing the Beta Way project together with the Office of the Vice President for Development and the Campus Architect.
Beta Epsilon members constructed the pathway in gravel and sand over grassland and swamp from 1951 to 1953, shortly after the UP transfer from Manila to Diliman, to make easier the traverse between two of the oldest and most often used buildings on the new campus. The Beta Epsilon Fraternity was awarded the Wenceslao Q. Vinzons Award in 1962 for its Beta Way Project.
Beta Epsilon or the Brotherhood of Engineers was founded on August 23, 1929 at the UP College of Engineering. It counts for its members Engineering and Architecture students. (Jo. Lontoc, UP MPRO)
